Metallic placard holding means for railway freight cars



g- 1940- w. A. BEAUCHAMP 2.210.649

METALLIC 'PLAGARD HOLDING MEANS FOR RAILWAY FREIGHT CARS Filed March 19, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ErWM g 6, 1940- w. A. BEAUCHAMP 2.210549 METALLIC PLACARD HOLDING MEANS FOR RAILWAY FREIGHT CARS Filed March 19, 19:58 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWI/1T" -//y1 E/v T0? 4 VV/L FEED A. 55/7 ucH/WP J33)$M XLAMLZ [11,4 2/

Patented Aug. 6, 1940 UNITED STATES gnome rrelvr METALLIC PLACARD' HOLDING MEANS FOR RAILWAY FREIGHT CARS 6 Claims.

This invention relates generally to placard holding means and is concerned particularly with devices of this character customarily provided on railway freight cars for the attachment of warning placards, routing instruction cards and the like.

moisture, they initiate and promote corrosion of the steel parts to which they are fastened. The wooden boards must necessarily be very thick in order to better withstand the splitting and decay to which they are subject and hence project considerable distances from the cars.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide means which will overcome the difficulties above noted.

A further object is to provide metallic placard holding means upon which placards of varying sizes may be securely fastened and which shall utilize resilient means for this purpose.

A further object is to provide metallic placard holding means having a backing plate provided with slots slidably receiving clamping devices, the slots being so disposed as not materially to affect the strength of the backing plate.

A further object is to provide metallic placard holding means having a backing plate provided with slots slidably receiving clamping devices, said clamping devices being so constructed as to be interchangeable and reversible.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings forming part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a partial elevation of the endof a railway freight car to which the invention is applied.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation of a Sliding door for railway freight cars having the invention applied thereto.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation illustrating one embodiment of the invention on an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 is a side view of the structure shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a partial plan view showing a placard fastening means illustrated in Figure 3 on an enlarged scale.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings as applied to the corrugated end it of a railway house car, the corrugations being designated by the reference character H. In Figure 2 this embodiment of the invention .is illustrated in connection with a side door 12 formed with spaced horizontal corrugations 53. In each instance it will be apparent that the device is fastened upon the crests of certain of the corrugations as more clearly appears in Figure 4 of the drawings.

The considered embodiment of the invention is illustrated in greater detail in Figures 3 to 6 1 inclusive. From these figures of the drawings it will be apparent that the placard holding means comprises a metallic backing member l4 upon which placards of varying size are adapted to be placed. One such placard is shown in dot and dash lines in Figure 3 of the drawings and is designated by reference numberal l5. The metallic backing member I4 is preferably rectangular in outline and is formed with slots 16 disposed preferably along the diagonals of the backing member.

As more clearly appears from Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings the fastening device is formed preferably from a wire providing in efiect a headed portion 18 and a shank I9. To secure this construction the wire is bent intermediate its ends to provide an eye 2|] from which the two spaced legs 2l-Zl of the shank extend. These legs merge into the arcuate portions '23--23 of the head la. The ends of these arcuate portions are preferably flattened as indicated at 24-7-24, these flattened portions being turned upwardly as indicated at 2525 in order'to provide portions capable of being readily grasped between the thumb and the index finger for a purpose which will later appear. Y

From a consideration of Figure 5 of the drawings it will be apparent that the shank IQ of a placard fastening device extends through a slot 16 in the backing member so as to dispose the eye 20 below the underside of the backing member. A cotter pin 26 is then passed through the eye 20 in order to secure each of the placard fastening devices upon the backing member.

It will be apparent from Figure 3 of the draw- Slidably received within each of these slots is a placard fastening device l1.

ings that while the diameter of the wire is 7 somewhat less than the Width of the slot [6, the flattened end portions of the head l8 of the placard holding device are wider than the slot.

It Will be apparent from the foregoing description that the placard fastening devices are capable of sliding movement in the slots I6, such movement being limited only by the extent of the slots. Therefore, the placard holding means is adapted to receive and fasten in position placards of varying sizes,

In order to shift the placard fastening device along a slot, it is only necessary to grasp the ends of the head of the fastening device between the thumb and index finger and force the legs 2i-2l of the shank it toward each other. The resilient engagement between the head Id of the fastening device and the upper surface of the backing member is thus released so that the fastening means may be shifted within the limitations of the slot. Upon release of the ends 2525 of the fastening device, resilient engagement of the head of such means with the backing member will be restored and since the fastening device will lie upon a portion of the placard, resilient bearing engagement upon the placard will be established. The flattened portions 24 are preferably provided with prongs 21 which will extend through the placard and aid in its retention.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in the details of the invention will be clear "to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes be comprehended within this invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A metallic placard holding means for railway freight cars comprising a metallic backing member, slots formed in said member, resilient clamping members slidably mounted in said slots, said clamping members having eyes extending through said slots and pins projecting through said eyes for fastening said clamping members to said backing member.

2. A metallic placard board for railway cars, in combination, a flat metallic plate of substantially uniform thickness, a plurality of slots extending through said plate, a resilient placard securing means for each slot, said means comprising outer portions overlapping said slots dis posed upon the outside of said plate and an intermediate portion projecting through said slots, and a member engaging the inside of said plate and said projecting portion for fastening said placard securing means upon said plate against theft when said placard board is mounted upon a freight car, said member tensioning said securing means and forcing said outer portions into engagement with said metallic plate.

3. A metallic placard board for railway cars, in combination, a flat metallic plate of substantially uniform thickness, a plurality of slots extending through said plate, a resilient placard securing'means for each slot, said means comprising outer portions overlapping said slots disposed upon the outside of said plate and an intermediate portion projecting through'said slots, and a member engaging the inside of said plate and said projecting portion for fastening said placard securing means upon said plate against theft when said placard board is mounted upon a freight car, said member tensioning said securing means and forcing said outer portions into engagement with said metallic plate, said placard securing means being operable from the outside of said plate to relieve said tension whereby said means may readily be moved along said slot.

4. A metallic placard board for railway cars, in combination, a fiat metallic plate of substantially uniform thickness, a plurality of slots extending through said plate, a resilient placard securing means for each slot, said means comprising outer portions overlapping said slots disposedupon the outside of said plate and an intermediate' portion projecting through said slots, and a member carried by said projecting portion engaging the inside of said plate for fastening said placard seeming means upon said plate against theft when said placard board is mounted upon a freight car, said member tensioning said securing means and forcing said outer portions into engagement with said metallic plate, said securing means being operable from the outside of said metallic plate to disengage said member from said plate and relieve said tension whereby said securing means may readily be moved along said slot.

'5. A metallic placard board for railway cars, l

in combination, a flat metallic plate of sub-- stantially uniform thickness, a plurality of diagonally arranged slots extending through said plate, a resilient placard securing means for each slot, said means comprising outer portions over- F lapping said slots disposed upon the outside of said plate and an intermediate portion projecting through said slots, and a member engaging the inside of said plate and said projecting portion for fastening said placard securing means upon said plate against theft when said placard board is mountedupon a freight car, said member tensi'oning', said securing means and forcing said outer portions into engagement with said metallic plate.

6, A metallic placard board for railway freight cars,in combination a metallic plate, a plurality of slots extending through said plate, a resilient placard securing means for each slot, said means comprisingan intermediate portion narrower.

than and projecting. through said slots and similar resilient portions extending in opposite directions from said intermediate portions, said similar portions being wider than said slots and lying upon said plate, and means carried by said intermediate portion en aging said plate on opposits sides of said slot.-

WILFRED A. BEAUCHAMP. 

